Thomas Jefferson: A Complex Legacy

Thomas Jefferson might be the smartest—and most controversial—president in U.S. history.”

Jefferson was the third U.S. president and the main author of the Declaration of Independence,

writing the words “all men are created equal.” He doubled the size of the United States

with the Louisiana Purchase, a risky move that reshaped the nation forever.

Jefferson wasn’t just a politician—he was a genius polymath. He spoke multiple languages,

invented new tools, designed his own home Monticello, and built one of the largest personal

libraries in America. That library—over 6,000 books—later became the foundation of the Library of

Congress after the British burned Washington, D.C. Politically, Jefferson led the